I've had this idea for some time to create an Electron Dance book with a collection of the best works (The Aspiration, A Theoretical War, interview transcripts etc) but this has been put off due to the extra time being pumped into the big "WS" series I've been working on.

I think the full series is likely to be around 20,000 words, although knowing me it could stretch to 30. That puts it in novella territory rather than a full blown book but I wonder if I should think of making this the Electron Dance book.

Then again I'm also thinking of sponsorship options for the site, so maybe it would be better to keep the content here for the time being. The problem I run up against is that I have finite time and while I have ambition I don't have the time to do everything. So the question is always what to do next.

Any thoughts? Taking content away from the site just for a book - does this even sound like a good idea?

Straight talk: if you want to make some £££ from your ED writing, probably best to remove it from the site well before you release any sort of paid ebook. Otherwise, what's the impetus for anyone to buy it?

HM, have you ever heard of a business plan? Try making a short one for each of the different options you have. It'll help organize your thoughts for yourself, and help you and everyone else spot flaws and strengths.

This thread is about what readers would think about taking away potential content and releasing it as a book. I've talked up this series for some time - and now it becomes a book? How does that make everyone feel? Did it piss away reputation?

That's what I'm trying to figure out. Not that I'm necessarily going to do this, just feeling out the possibilities.

The series is a polemic, but a researched polemic.

Videogame books don't make much money and books for blogs with around 1000 followers even less. So I don't want to break any sort of compact with the audience, because we're not talking about megabucks here.

Well, a business plan isn't necessarily about money or business; just a good way to organize your thoughts. It'd turn up stuff like expected audience, cost to end-user, personal investment/cost, legal rights, that sort of thing. I dunno, were you implying that you'd already done that kind of thing?

Though, if I'm asked for my opinion, I'd go out of my way for a physical copy that's well enough made and designed, but I don't much see the value in a digital distribution. But, physical distribution on this scale is most likely to only cost the author a chunk of change and headaches (however, I have seen it done well before).

I wouldn't feel offended. The kind of people who would be offended are, frankly, twats. It's not like we've been paying you, or like we're somehow entitled to free content from you. If I read that a blogger has been working on something for a long time and it's turned out so big and solid that it would make a good book, all I can say is good for them.

Besides, people in this idiotic world respect commercial products more than free content, so maybe this would get ED more of the attention it deserves.

I'm definitely going to do an Electron Dance book at some point, an ebook potentially with a physical copy run via a vanity publishing shop like Lulu. It's one of those things I just want to do; partly to see if it could go somewhere, partly for the experience because I hope to write books in the future.

The question is whether pulling the content I'd been going on about for months and months and switching it into a book was going to ruffle feathers. I guess I've already loaded the question somewhat and it's impossible for anyone to answer "no fuck you, where's my content".

If I did produce a book of all-new content like this, I'd have to market it pretty hard, of course. The book won't sell itself. I'm not sure what you're specifically referring to @rgoodness but I'm worried you will tell me.

I'm not sure I'm keen on pulling content from the site for the purposes of floating a book, though. That would seem to break links to the site across the web, but also within the site. I guess some site owners do that... but I don't know if I could bring myself to do that.

I know I would purchase a book (digital or physical, although physical is always nicer). It is a nice way to give back to a site I've been getting free content from for years now. I think the people who really care about the site will want to support you in any way, and those who just follow casually won't really pay enough attention to care if content never appears or goes missing. Just my two cents though.

I can't say I'd be interested in an ebook, HM, as the text was originally written for the web. Transferring it to ebook format would just make it more cumbersome to read and springboard from (i.e. all your lovely hyperlinks). Sure, it would mean I could read it in more sizeable lumps on a tablet or ereader if I wanted to, but that's what tools like Pocket are for.

A print-on-demand edition of your best material, though, that I would snap up.

I have absolutely no objection to your removing content that would go into a book, as it's your content. If I really wanted to check something again I would just ask.

The above is just in terms of what I personally would like / be bothered by. In terms of broader considerations:

1. Will removing old content mess with any SEO or incoming traffic/links?

2. It strikes me that your best content coming together as a book - tree or digi - is a good artefact to send out to get reviewed, to list on e-retailer sites, to distribute for free to game-oriented collections or academic groups, etc. All of which serves as a great promotional tool to strengthen the site.

@ShaunCG, the idea was newer readers just wouldn't be exposed to the older content (I know, for example, that @rgoodness has never read The Aspiration, can you believe that) and despite it being there, no one is reading it. A book would provide a structured walk through the older material. But, as I said, I would provide in multiple formats (I would prefer print, but ebook is all the rage with the kids these days) and there would be some revisions/additions.

I'd probably leave all the content here. I'm happier leaving everything in place. It would fun working out who I'd want to send free copies too. OBVIOUSLY NONE OF THE REGULARS AS THEY ARE THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO WOULD BUY IT.

But, yeah, I'm really pondering about whether to take this new series and make it a damn book, so it's 100% original content. Head still rattling through what that would mean.

I wouldn't remove the old content. I would consider turning the new content into a book.

The advantage of a 100% original book is that it can get far more attention. There's not that many books about video games being published, so something that's more than a collected blog has a chance of getting some coverage.

I didn't realise men could achieve a dual release. This is awesome news.

I'm leaning towards the book option, which still leaves the video and ARG somewhat adrift. I'm thinking the ARG/video will be launched earlier and I will not turn it a commercial. Perhaps I could use a copyright free cut down version as a book advert later?

I will clarify that I have no intention of giving the book any sort of happy ending. There'll be no "power of the medium" last page spiel. That has been done. I'm going to bitch and moan. And I'll take all you bastards with me.